


Storm in a Teacup

by Attasee



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: 006 - Freeform, Boats and Ships, Established Relationship, F/M, Feelings, Guns, Helicopters, Kidnapping, London, M/M, Q feels useless, River Thames, Secret Intelligence Service | MI6, Special Forces, m - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-11-22 11:00:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11378823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Attasee/pseuds/Attasee
Summary: Tanner and Bond get kidnapped.Shit is gonna go down.Obviously.***** this story's is on a hiatus atm. It will be finished but RL gets in the way and I apologise *****





	1. Rogue One

**Author's Note:**

> So... this is little different from me. From both Tanner and Q's pov only. A ensemble cast so-to-speak.  
> It won't be a long piece of work and because of work I probably will only update weekly.  
> It probably has about 3 chapters.

Bill Tanner tried to push himself onto his hands and knees and take a deep breath. 

He shouldn't be here. 

This wasn't the night he had had planned. No, his plans had involved a naked Eve Moneypenny, Rogue One and a tub of ice cream, so why he was lying on the deck of the Silver Bonito, pleasure and sightseeing cruiser in the pouring rain and howling wind as it whizzed along the Thames was anyone's guess. 

“Bond,” he said quietly knowing the man was nearby – or at least Bill hoped he still was – it had all gotten a little blurry after someone had smacked him on the head. “I know this sounds a bloody ridiculous thing to ask but what the hell just happened?” 

From somewhere over the other side of the deck (port / starboard – Bill wasn't really the naval type so it was all a touch confusing) he heard a grunt. “Bond?” Another grunt. 

Bollocks, thought Bill. If Bond was down, and that could be the only logical explanation as to why the agent would be grunting, they really were right up shit street, on a boat without a paddle.  

Bill tutted as quietly as he could. If only he hadn’t listened to Bond's answer machine message calling him down the garage an hour before – a silly thought he knew because Bill would just about do anything for Bond, the man was his best friend for Christ sakes - he'd be wrapped up a Eve blanket right about now.  

None of that mattered though at the moment. What mattered was that for some reason they where currently on a boat on the Thames, Bond was incapacitated and he was bleeding from his forehead. 

“Shit,” Bill whispered into the darkness. “What a sodding mess.”  

* * *

“Eve, do you a visual?” Q pushed his body away from the high workstation he used during active missions and searched the large digital screen that dominated Q Branch. Just like the previous time he had looked, the images on the screen weren't showing anything except interference from the storm they had named Sherlock currently kicking London's arse. 

“No.”  

“No sign of anything?”  

“Negative Q. The Thames looks like the North Sea, visibility is low and we are having trouble staying in the air. When the Met Office predict a storm, they don’t mess about.” 

No they didn’t, Q thought with a sigh. Even from the safety of his underground bunker he could hear the wind howling. London’s CCTV network was taking one hell of a  battering too, from his own safe vantage point he had seen tree branches, rubbish and parts unknown fly past the cameras dotted along the river bank and he had just heard they where thinking of closing the barrier. All of which he knew didn't help their rescue efforts in the slightest.  

"Eve, come back in, it's not worth putting you and the pilot in danger," Q said reluctantly, he knew she would curse him up a storm but he didn't care. 

"Q..." 

"Come back in, Bill will kill me if you get hurt." And Q would kill everyone if anyone gets hurt. 

From the lack of Eve's reply, Q assumed she was now turning around. "Be safe," he said down the coms before cutting the line.  

“Anything?”   

“No Sir.” Q replied with a jump. Q had called M on his private line the moment the two men had gone missing and although he knew M would arrive eventually it was still a shock to see him currently stood in Q Branch in jeans and a Pink Floyd t-shirt.  

“Do we know why yet?” 

Q shook his head. "I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to why yet either. The footage from the garage tells us nothing, Tanner seems to approach Bond then stop, then they both disappear." 

"Into the Thames?" 

Q nodded. As unlikely as it sounded that’s exactly what had happened. One minute the two men had been on screen the next they hadn't. From their location there was no other option other to go into the Thames, a thought that had sent a shiver down Q's back more than once. 

"Anything showing on the exterior cameras? Those along the river bank?" 

Q shook his head this time. "No. It seems the storm took a couple of them out, here and here, and one here" he replied indicating to M the three out of action cameras on a small tablet screen to his left. "Whoever took our men was ably assisted by the British weather." 

"Christ. And we are sure they have been taken?" 

"Bill never showed up to collect Eve and Bond didn't check back in after his visit to Scotland Yard." 

"Right. And Eve's sure?" 

"She's sure. Did she call him?" 

"Yep. The phone line was dead but that’s to be expected to be honest. The only thing we find was Tanner's mobile. Whether he dropped it purposely or not, its smashed to smithereens." 

"Can you put it back to together?" M enquired. 

"I have one of the techs working on it as we speak." 

The head of MI6 sighed heavily. The stress of the situation quite clearly showing in dark shadows under his eyes and Q wondered briefly whether he looked the same. He's heard his stomach rumble more than once that evening and the mug of tea he'd been given earlier was empty. "This is unprecedented," M continued. 

"Is it?" Q asked. He could think of plenty of times Bond had got himself into a tonne of trouble. Kidnappings, bullet holes, the odd knife wound – Q had become an expert at sewing James back together these past few years. "I assume you mean Tanner."  

"Yes." 

"He's not a trained agent, but he can handle himself. You underestimate him." 

M smiled briefly and then frowned as he cast his eyes over the rolling footage on the digital screen. "I take it Eve has taken my Chef of Staff firmly under her wing?" 

Q chuckled nervously. He didn't know why – this wasn't a situation that required or warranted any levity – but for some reason the irony of Tanner being 'mission ready' care of Eve made him smile. It hadn’t escaped anyone notice that ever since Tanner had watched her in action during the Paris mission, he'd been joining her in the armoury and range. He'd even taken to visiting there alone until Q had suggested they issue him with his own side arm."Of course she has. Which is why I am fairly sure they will be okay," Q replied calmly.  

"Right." 

"Sir?" It was Eve who finally broke the uneasy silence that had descended on the Q Branch. When M had left Q alone ten minutes before citing the need to make 'some calls' Q had stepped back up to his workstation and had started to trawl through some additional footage they had managed to get their paws on. "Go ahead E," Q replied firmly. 

"I'm back on dry land." 

"Location?" 

"006 has joined us and we've decided join the rest of the search party at the river bank. Any luck your end?" 

"No. M's gone off to make some calls and I am looking at some footage from the apartment complex opposite." 

"Anything?" 

"Not yet, I've got someone cleaning it up, the weather isn't helping." The footage was blurry and at best looked like a snow storm had hit the area (it hadn't yet thankfully). "I've got two techs working on it." 

"Q we are going to find them aren't we..." Eve whispered. Her voice starting to finally sound strained. "I couldn't stand it if I lost him." 

Q took a deep breath and closed his eyes. My god he hoped they where alright. Bond was his world and Tanner was Eve's. It didn’t seem like two minutes ago that he and Eve had been sat in her flat bemoaning their love lives and how they both wished someone would sweep them off their feet and/or how much they didn't need a man in their lives, and now he couldn't even comprehend not having James about.  

Sucking in another lung full of air Q placed his fingers on his keyboard and spoke. "Eve, we are going to find them. If it’s the last thing I do."      

* * *

They where moving again. After a brief pause when the engines had cut off, the boat had started up again and Bill could feel the pitch and fall of vessel from the motion of the river. From his location, which was now up tied up against what he thought was the outside of passenger seating area he could see lights of London fading into the distance.  

"Bond, are you awake?" Bill asked. Even though he hadn't enjoyed being dragged across the small deck one small benefit (aside from now being sheltered a little from the elements) was that he was now close enough to 007 as he could be. 

"Sort of." 

Bill sighed in relief. "They got us good," he whispered in an attempt to not draw attention to himself. Although he doubted very little could be heard over the sound of the now dissipating storm and rumble of the engine.  

"They did."  

"Any ideas?" 

"Nope."  

Bill sighed again. He had hoped 007 knew who they where. "Are you hurt?"  

"Cracked rib I think, they broke my wrist, some other stuff. Took my weapon, you?" 

"No weapon to take. But they got me over the head with something and when they pushed me onto the boat my left ankle twisted badly." 

"Broken?" 

"I'm....I'm not sure. It's hurts like a bitch though." 

"Probably broken." 

"Hmmm." 

"Q's going to shit a brick if I come home injured again." 

"I think we have more pressing things to worry about then Q bollocking you about your rib at the moment 007. Like how the hell are we going to get out of this?" 

Any reply that Bond might have given Bill was cut off by the door opening from the passenger area and two men in full black camo type gear stepping out onto the deck. Bill eyed them both slowly. Tall, dressed in black, covered faces. Did he recognise either of them? He didn't think so, but these weren't really the conditions for playing Guess Who? 

"Gentleman, how are you both doing? Warm enough?" The one closest to Bond said and Bill heard a chuckle of laughter rise from the Double 0 agent. "Really? Laughter?" The guy had obviously heard it too. 

It was Bill who laughed in reply this time though, why he wasn't sure, it was the preposterous of the situation he suspected, or the fact he was shitting himself. He was Chef of Staff for MI6, sure he was an important chap but not at the top of most kidnappers list. Bond, M, Q and Eve yes, but not him (although the less he thought about Eve getting kidnapped the better).  

"C'mon lads, it is a little funny, you've kidnapped two men from outside MI6 and yet you haven't covered either our eyes or gagged us. Are you complete idiots?" Bill sighed inwardly at Bond's words but knew his best friend was right. Even with a broken wrist Bond was in his element. It might have been Bill's first time at all this, but clearly Bond had messed with plenty of arseholes who thought kidnap and torture was the way forward. "The best you can do is a couple of shitty zip ties? Really c'mon. Amateurs. By the way, the gun you stole won't work, technology eh? It's a bitch." 

"You think all I care about is the gun? I think it's time we get you both out of this storm and inside for a nice quiet chat." 

"Don't put yourself out for us mate. Tea, one sugar though if you are asking." 

"Enough! Inside now, you and you," the kidnapper said to someone Bill couldn't see. "Get them both in. Remember to be careful with the Quartermaster, I don't want him damaged too much." 

_Quartermaster?_


	2. Wonder Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a whole team effort  
> Q's worried  
> Bond's injured  
> Bill's considering porta loos

 Q heard her before he saw her. Her flat shoes (he suspected Converse) padded lightly over the tiled floor of Q Branch before they came to a stop next to his workstation. 

"Moneypenny." 

"Q" 

The silence in the room was deafening. There was only a few techs and analysts in the room now, most had already exceeded their hours so the few that remained where trawling through new camera footage the moment it arrived in Q's inbox. 

"Anything?" 

Q shook his head. "No. But I'm hopeful though we'll pick something up from the footage I've just received from the college across the river." 

"Are their camera's that good?" Eve asked and Q could hear the shake in her voice.  

"If I said better than ours in places I wouldn't be lying. Money to burn some of these places," he replied with a nervous chuckle.  

"Fingers crossed then." 

Q sighed. This whole thing was turning into something far worse than he had expected. James and Bill had now been missing for over eight hours which in Q's already overcrowded brain was an endless amount of time for him to overthink the 586 possible explanations and outcomes he had running through it. The Thames had a notoriously wicked tidal pattern and with a flow of up to 5 miles per hour and a range of over seven metres it could not be taken lightly. If both men had fallen in (a scenario Q had ruled out because he just couldn't bare thinking about it) it could mean they would never find their bodies. At all. It was either that or they would end up on sandbank at the mouth of the estuary. No, Q just couldn't think about that, nor was something he was going to offer up out loud to Eve. Not when she looked like she was losing her whole world.  

"Eve, its... going to be okay," Q said carefully. "This is Bond and Tanner. Bond is a Double 0 and even though he hates to admit it Tanner isn't shy either. Wherever they are, they will be okay." Or at least he hoped they were. Maybe if he kept telling himself it repeatedly he would start to believe it too.  

"Is this what it is like every time Bond goes out on a mission? This worry, this sense of not knowing?"  

What a question Q thought to himself. He'd never really thought about it. When he and James had first starting stepping out they'd spent a whole evening discussing how each was going to handle the other when  _'shit went down'_  (Bond's words). After an evening of hot sex and talk they decided the best way to manage it as they had before. Q would do his job - stony faced apparently -  and Bond would do his – guns blazing. The only concession they'd both made was a series of discreet hand signals and code words they could throw randomly into conversations to let the other know he was okay. Of course, at the moment Q had no hand signals or way of throwing odd words into a sentence to fall back on – but it wasn't just that. This time was Tanner was missing too and Eve was dealing with something she'd probably never expected to deal with in her life. 

"This is different," he began. "Either myself or R are Bond's eyes and ears during a mission. We can see everything. So even though I may be a rampaging hot mess of emotions on the inside, I'm totally calm on the outside. James does his job and I do mine-" 

"But this time it involves Bill," Eve said matter of factly. She took a deep breath and Q quickly schooled his face before he answered. 

"Yes." 

"And me."  

"If Tanner was here he'd probably say you where the more important one." 

"Like Bond would do?" 

"Yes." Even with Q's attempts to answers calmly he could see how much this was getting to his best friend. "I thought you were out with 006?" he asked suddenly wondering why she wasn't out there with the rest of the team. 

Eve shook her head and she blinked slowly. "I was, but then 009, 5, 3 and 2 suddenly appeared and I felt like a spare part. Plus, I was..." 

Q reached out and grabbed her arm before she could finish the sentence. "Oh Evey," he said wrapping his arms around her. "Hang on, did you say four of the Double 0's are out looking for them as well?"  

Eve nodded but didn't pull away. "Apparently Alec activated the Double 0 Christmas Phone Tree, and they all answered." 

"Good god." 

"I suspect it's going to get very busy in here in a bit." 

"I think you might be right." 

Giving Eve one final squeeze Q let go and stepped back behind his workstation. "New T-shirt Eve?" He asked eyeing the most un-Eve looking thing he had ever seen her. Music bands yes, it was a surprise to find out Eve was a regular concert goer and had been planning on a Glastonbury Trip for years ( _'_ _one-day_ _Q I will get you there'_ ) but action figures? "Different, although I must admit it's very you." He said eyeing the garment. 

"Bill." 

"I suspected." 

"He wants to take me to a comic con, and I think this was gentle push in that direction. I get to drag him to a festival, he takes me to a comic con." 

"Wonder Woman is a wise choice." 

"Girl power. Her and Rey." 

Q chuckled. It was good to see his best friend smiling. "Oh, you really are in love, aren't you?" 

Before Eve could answer though the door to Q Branch flung open causing a number of the Tech's to jump out of their chairs. "I suspect our troops are here," he drawled feigning boredom. He was of course, more wound up than a clock but he wasn't going to let four of his agents see that.  

Not yet anyway. 

"Q."  

"Hmmm." Q hummed. He loved Bond with all his heart but he was going to kick the shit out of him when they found him. A single Double 0 in Q Branch was usually more than they could handle but four?  

"What've got?" 006. 

"Do you have an update for us?" 003 

"Hey Q, Eve – Any idea as to why they would take Tanner? James is a given obviously. Sorry to say Q." 005 

"Plan?" 002   

"Q?" M 

"Tea anyone?" R 

 "The Thames is a big place; the weather isn't helping." Technician #23 

Q sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. After he kissed James' face off he was going to punch it. 

 

* * *

 

 

Bill was awake again. Or at least he thought he was. The pitch and fall of the boat had lessened but there was still enough movement for him to know they were still moving.   

"Bill, you... awake?"  

"Just." 

"They, they got you again." 

Bill nodded into the darkness. "Yes," he replied quietly. He was cold, wet and sore. His ankle felt like it was on fire. Yeah, they had got him good. 

"Which is surprising really... considering who they think you are." 

Bill had wondered if James had heard that. For some reason, their kidnappers thought he was MI6's Quartermaster, which was absolutely ridiculous because Bill thought he looked nothing like a Quartermaster should look yet here he was on the receiving end of a pummeling meant for the man who Bill hoped was looking for them both. 

"I think we can agree now as to why we were... taken," Bond said quietly but Bill could tell the Double 0 was anything but calm. James deep breaths where giving him away. The Double 0 sounded pained and sore. 

Bil took a sharp breath and tried to ignore the pain that raced through his upper body as he did so. "God fucking damnit," he snarled pushing the tremor back down. This wasn't the first time he'd been punched repeatedly – he'd attended an all-boys comprehensive in Northern England for god's sake – but he could certainly feel the effects of it lingering longer than the damage Boycey Boyce had done to him in the playground back in 1989.  

"They probably thought us meeting in the garage then a short stroll along the Thames was a sign of some sort of secret rendezvous," he said with a gasp. 

"It's almost... funny." 

"Funny is not a word I would use to describe our situation Bond." 

He heard the agents pained chuckle. "No, they.... are dragging it out a bit though. Normally by now-" 

"Bloody hell Bond. I hate it when you class your kidnapping as normal or not normal. It worries me whether we are paying you enough." 

"… You're not, but as I was saying, normally.... they would have played their hand by now, except all.... they have done is drag us.... off the side of the Thames.... onto a small dingy, kick...kick us about a bit, change... boats, boast to themselves they have kidnapped...erm... Q and then bugger off." 

 _Shit._   

The more James spoke the slower he got.  

 "James, are you okay?" 

No answer. The deep breaths from before had turned into silence. 

Bill tried to push himself upwards but failed when his injured arm gave way causing him to flop back down to the wooden floor with a crash. "Jesus fucking Christ," he cried as his face hit the corner of what he thought may have been the corner of Bond's shoe. "Bond?" 

No answer again. 

"Bollocks," Bill hissed into the wooden floor. He paused and took another deep breath before rolling himself towards where Bond lay. He probably looked ridiculous but his tied hands did nothing to aid the situation at all. "Bond?" 

Nothing. 

Bill eyed the darkness and sighed. It should be morning by now he thought, yet he could hear no movement above deck (he assumed he was below deck given the lack of light) and the boat they were on, had at some point stopped moving. Was this it? Given that they thought he was Q, Bill thought not, but Christ on a bike they weren't half dragging it out. Where they still here? Would Q find them? Would James even be alive? The fact that Bond was now out for the count now made the situation even worse.  

Positive things, that’s what Eve would say.  _Think positive things._  He doubted very much she had meant he would need that mantra in this situation but he could give it a whirl, right? What he wouldn't give to be back with her now. He'd even go to fucking Glastonbury and use a porta loo for her if it meant them being back together soon.   

"I gotta get out of here," Bill said quietly. Then his world went white.

<p


	3. Doctor Who

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill's in a bit of a fix  
> Bond's missing  
> Q's got a program he can use.   
> Obviously

Bill couldn’t recall the last time he had woken up with the taste of blood in his mouth – there had been an incident when he'd been younger playing rugby and once when his sisters swing had hit him square in the face knocking him out and busting his lip in the process, but as far as he could recollect (and his brain was currently filled with mush) it had never happened because of work. In fact, the last thing Bill could really remember doing that day was buying Eve lunch and planning a quiet night in watching Rogue One with beer. Or at least he thought it was, it was the nicest memory he could think of anyway. 

Everything else after that was a little hazy though. Bill could remember being sat in his office itching to leave for the day, then receiving a phone call from Bond who'd he met in the garage. His last memory was of them then they'd be stood on the banks of the Thames as 007 had been talking about Q and then...  

"Oh god," Bill said softly as the pain in his left ankle (as if on cue), suddenly began to radiate through his body. He was injured and not just with scraped knee either. Bill could feel the tightness of his skin around the swollen limb and even in the darkness he was now sat in, knew the left-hand side of his head and mouth (where he thought the blood was coming from) was raw and exposed.  

He was on a boat. 

On the Thames. 

With Bond 

"James?" A shiver trickled down Bill's spine when he got no answer. Bond had been with him in the other room that much Bill was sure of. The agent had been out cold but at least they had been in the same room. Looking around now though Bill hadn't a clue where he was. 

"Arh, you're awake," a voice said suddenly from Bill's left and with it the darkness surrounding him turned to into light. Bill immediately squinted at the sudden invasion -  _god damn_  -  and pressed his chin tight to his chest. 

"Where am I?" He rasped. His throat was dry and itchy and Bill knew he needed something to fix it soon. "Where's my colleague?" He asked pleased that he still had enough of his wits to hold back on the names.  

"Arh, Mr Bond? License to Kill, Double 0 operative? That colleague?" 

Bill stayed silent. He wasn't Bond, he wasn't going to attempt to piss them off any more than they obviously where. Instead he lifted his head, slowly opened his eyes and took in the view. The room he was in had white washed wooden walls and a small porthole to his left. It looked like a storage area, small boxes of rope lay ominously in one corner, alongside a tool box (which he hoped was empty) and a mixture of bottles labelled WD40 and Swarfega. None of those things where bothering Bill (yet) though. What was bothering Bill was the suited and booted man – which he thought looked completely out of place and slightly menacing – standing directly in front of him.     

Suited and booted hadn't been what Bill'd been expecting. This felt more threatening, more official, more cold war, more... he shut his mind down before he could finish the thought. Closing his eyes, he attempted to push out all the negativity. Eve. He would think about Eve and him and their life. Eve was his anchor.  _Oh_ _baby – I'm so sorry._  

It felt a like an eon before the suited man spoke again. "I see you do have some training – here's me thinking that it was just the operatives and field agents of MI6 who the British Government threw money at." 

Bill almost chuckled. In fact, he only just managed to hold back a snort. He had been tested and trained as well as the next pencil pusher. He may never have the revered license to kill but he certainly thought he could hold his own in this situation. If his memory was right – and it was growing more and more hazy as time went on - the cards where almost definitely stacked in his favour. This man thought he was Q – MI6's Quartermaster of all people. The thought was a ridiculous one. 

"What do you want?" he asked finally. "Who are you, you seem to know who I am, so, fairs fair right?"  

The suited man obviously hadn't expected to speak and in the time, it took for the man to pull a plastic framed chair over and take a seat on it, Bill studied him closer. He was British, a frequent visitor to Saville Row by the looks of it as well. He wore a single-breasted suit that he had unbuttoned and highly polished patent leather shoes that looked even more out of place than the suit did.  

"My name is Robert Thompson-Jones. I am, how I can put it, a collector of things." 

"A collector?" Bill struggled with the words.  _Oh boy._  

Thompson-Jones nodded in reply. "I collect things, use them, and then either keep them or throw them anyway." 

"And what do you collect?" Bill asked through gritted teeth although he suspected he already knew given that he was currently tied up on a boat in the middle of the Thames – or at least he hoped it was still the Thames. The thought of being out to sea sent shivers down his spine. 

"Things, items, objects, antiques. People," Thompson-Jones replied. 

"Arh." 

"And you are currently adding to your collection?" 

"Oh, without doubt," a feral smile was seared across Thompson-Jones expression.  "I admit this time the collection method was a little more aggressive then I would usually employ but then I am after a very special acquisition. Normally I simply send a list out and the items I need come back. This particular item though needed a little more attention." 

Christ, Bill thought. The man made it sound like he was doing his weekly shopping. "A Quartermaster." 

"The Quartermaster. You. The thing is, you can do things I can't. Break down virtual walls and barriers, hack, run codes – I admit that sort of stuff isn't really my thing – I'm an old-fashioned guy living in a modern world, but I am the first to admit that we all need a little help every now and again. You can do more damage to this world from the comfort of a very smart room I have set up for you, than I could ever dream about." 

Bill shifted in his chair. This guy was crazy. He actually thought that Bill was the Quartermaster? For the first time that night Bill let out an almighty laugh. Not just a chuckle or a snigger but an actual laugh. It sent shockwaves of pain through his face, head and down to his ankle causing him to wince but he didn't care. He didn't have enough hair to be a Quartermaster (not that that was a stipulation of the job) but when he thought of his Q, Bill saw hair, cardigans and that damn mug, not someone in a practical Marks and Spencer two piece wearing a pair of Doctor Who socks. There was also the issue that half the time Bill didn't know what Q was talking about - algorithms, coding, worms, trojans, click-jacking. It was exhausting listening to the man, at times. But that still didn't explain why Bill had been kidnapped and not Q. 

"You say you are a collector?" He asked calmly. 

The man nodded. 

"You do lots of research? Or you get your employees to research your next acquisition, right?"  

Thompson-Jones leaned back in the plastic chair and sighed like he was already bored of the conversation, "of course. It's part of our work. We find the best, that’s what anyone would want for their business am I right?" 

"Of course, that’s what running a good business is all about," Bill carried on undaunted. He was fairly sure he was taking a risk going the route he was but... "The problem is this time? This time you might want to check your research." 

"And why is that Quartermaster?" 

Bill nearly laughed. In fact, he did. "Because I'm not the Quartermaster. Not even close." 

 

* * *

 

By the time Q had managed to steady his nerves for the third time that evening / morning – he wasn't sure which it was now - three definite groups of people had broken away from his workstation and were looking like they were about to go back out to hunt for Bond and Tanner. 

"Q, have we cleaned up that footage from the apartments, yet?" 003 asked.   

Q nodded wearily in reply. The tension that he had been holding back for the previous few hours was on the edge of bursting through. He missed Bond – which was stupid really, they were regularly away from each for long periods – but this felt different. Closer. It felt like James had been taken from under his nose.  

"Hey you, don't beat yourself up." Eve, Q knew it was Eve. The soft hand on the back of his neck giving her away. "It's not your fault." 

"They were under my nose Eve," Q replied feeling the shudder run through Eve's hand as he spoke. "They were stood outside the building for Christ sakes. I've kept better tabs on James when he has been half away around the world."  

"I'm scared too, Q." 

"I know." He did – it took a lot for him to admit he was feeling the pressure but he couldn't really hide it away like he would normally. 

"I'm scared I've lost him." 

"We've not lost them yet E. We'll find them – both of them. I'm putting the images up on the big screen guys – heads up."  

He and #23 had been working on the images for the last hour and while they had finally managed to improve the resolution on the images high enough so they could see the opposite side of the Thames Q still wasn't sure they could get anything from it. 

"Zoom in Q." Q wasn't surprised it was 006 who stepped up to the big screen first. The larger man had worked for MI6 longer than James had done – his specialty was extraction – Q knew that if anything was going to go down 006 would be at the head of it. "Stop. Back out a little. There. The boat."  

"What does that say?" 

"The name on the boat?" 

"It's one of the high-speed vessels that takes tourists up and down the Thames, isn't it?" 

"Roll to the next few images. Does it move, cast off, whatever?" 

"The Silver Bonito. It's the Silver Bonito." 

 Q wasn't sure who made the request, the noise in the room was suddenly far too loud, but didn't matter anyway. "They move, it moves." He said with a gasp watching the images. Q's fingers rolled over the keyboard faster than they ever had done before. "Look, there. You can see its engines power up."  

"Go go go." 

Suddenly Q Branch exploded with action and Q slammed down the lid of the laptop grabbing Eve's arm as he watched numerous double 0's and field agents stream out of the room.  

"I'm coming with you – there's a program we can use to track boats and stuff. I have it on my laptop."  

"Q... it's...why would you...oh god... No, it's too dangerous!" 

"Eve I'm coming. No arguments please.


	4. Batman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helicopters  
> Apps for tracking boats  
> 005's firepower  
> It's all about Q...

The unfamiliar whup whup from the blades of the helicopter had Q's stomach muscles in knots. Years ago, he'd developed a fear of flying and now avoided the experience where he could – a long haul flight as a child resulting in a temporary loss of cabin pressure completely ruining the experience for him –  but now he that was sat in a metal box with only 3 blades keeping him in the air, the familiar taste of acid rising from his stomach was making him feel a little faint. 

"Hey, you okay?" Eve asked. Q could hear her voice through the headset 006 had handed to him just before they had taken off and he nodded quickly in reply. "You should have stayed on the ground Q, they had a car engine running for you and ready go," she continued. 

Q shook his head. As soon as they had left the secure surroundings of MI6 and made their way over to an unassuming apartment complex which actually doubled up as housing for techs and new recruits, Q had wanted to stay with Eve and had found himself clinging to her like she was his temporary anchor. He hadn't even let go when 006 had pointed to the small contraption they were now in and insisted they get into. 

"I'm fine," he quickly said into the small mic. His voice sounding funny through the headphones. He knew that everything he and Eve said to one another, 006 and one of the other field agent's Q had only met a few days earlier could hear, so naturally he was being cautious with his replies. It wasn't that he was scared of them finding out something that would breach the Official Secrets Act because with the exception of Q they pretty much had the same clearance. No, Q was worried that if he showed them a mere hint of the terror he was actually feeling they would lose faith in him when everything returned to normal.  

If it returned to normal. He certainly, hoped it would do. No,  _i_ _t had to,_  Q repeated to himself.   

James and Bill had now been missing for over ten hours. Since realising that both men had disappeared Q had been working flat out. His fingers ached from tapping the keys on his laptop and his neck felt tense and tight, like it did after a mission and Q would ask James to rubbed the knots of his shoulders. 

James. 

Q bit back the whimper that threatened to escape his brain.  

If James didn't survive this then Q wasn't sure, what he would do. Carry on? He had to admit that recently the biggest pull of continuing to work at MI6 was the fact that it kept him close to James even when he was thousands of miles away blowing up a building. So, the idea or the thought that James wouldn't be there – for whatever reason – made him feel majorly unsettled. For some reason working at MI6 had become inexplicably linked to being with James. Like one couldn't exist without the other. Would he leave? Take more of a back seat. What would James do? How would they both cope with the other not being about? 

Q shook his head to clear it. No, he knew his mind at times had a tendency to wonder and over think things – it was why he was so good at his job but Q couldn't possibly think about James not being there. No, he said quietly to himself, they were going to find him and Bill and everything would be okay.  

"Hey, you okay there hun?" Eve's voice filtered through to his headset. "I lost you for a moment then." 

"I'm okay," he replied, repeating his answer from before. His mouth formed a tight smile as he felt Eve's cold fingers slide over his. "I'm going to having a look on my app, see if I can find the vessel. If it's moving, it will be sending a signal that the app should pick up." 

"You really have an app that does that?" This time the voice Q heard in his head came from one of the men in sat in front of him. 

"I do, yes." He wasn't going to admit he also had a app that tracked flights and planes – an app he had been part of the build team for. So what if he was a geek? His involvement in the development of the app had so far made him quite a bit of extra income and bought Q the latest Alienware gaming laptop. "It tracks the vessel and sends their position to a satellite. That data is then fused with lots of other data and automatically uploaded to the app. It's very clever 006." 

"It sounds it. Do you think it will pick up the vessel we are looking for? Is there a possibility the tracker thing on the boat could have been turned off?" 

Q nodded quickly – it was one of his fears and even though the app was good (even by his own standards) it wasn't 100%. It looked like the kidnapping had been a well organised affair though and he had no reason to believe they wouldn't turn it off, but still. "I hope that in the excitement of getting our men, they forgot," Q replied. The app of course uploaded slowly – he was working with moving target 4G signal that kept flicking to 3G, then to nothing at all, with each mile that they travelled. "The vessel is one of the London Eye River Cruise ships," Q continued, his focus now on the blue background that made up the map of London and the Thames. "It’s a familiar sight in the city, even during the night. They take them in for repairs and maintenance when everyone is asleep, no one is hardly going to think it's out of place to see rattling its way past the Houses of Parliament. I've seen it pass our flat a few times."   

Q watched slowly as the pixelating screen of his tablet began to slowly focus. Having already tapped in the name of the vessel and getting no response earlier, he quickly hit the search button again in hope that the Silver Bonito's position had updated itself. 

"Anything?" Eve's voice broke his concentration. "Has it updated?" 

Q shook his head. "I think they turned it off." 

"Shit." 

"Fuck." 

"God damnit." 

"You bloody well need to design Bond some sort of Bat Signal Q." 

The curses chimed around the aircraft.  

"003 apparently on the ground and is having about the same amount of luck as we are," 006 said with a huff. "There's nothing moving. Nothing at all." 

For the next hour – although to Q it felt like an eon – they flew reccies' (as 006 called them) up and down the river, pausing and dipping down to each vessel they passed to check out the name.  

"It's white with the London Eye colours on," Eve had told them at one point. "I took my Mum on it when she came to visit last time." 

"You took your Mum on a crowded river cruise? You do realise Bill could have organsied you both a private leisurely boat trip with a picnic and Champagne? That man gets where water can't for crying out loud Moneypenny – obviously no pun intended guys." 006 had obviously been shocked by Eve's admission and given the situation they were in it had felt wrong laughing at his words, but after searching the Thames for nearly three hours and coming up with nothing it had sounded more like a tension filled laugh than one meant to lighten the mood.  

Q pushed the mic to one side and sighed. London was still flying by at an alarming rate below them and had been for longer than Q wanted. His eyes felt tired from staring at his screen and then at the landscape below. Now, in the distance, he could see the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, it two large suspension arms standing up right and proud as it welcomed ships and boats into the city.  

"Q, run that app thing one more time," the field agent – whose name had escaped Q – suddenly asked. "There's a couple of white vessels docked up to the left in the port area that I don't remember being there from last time. Maybe ours has moved and its position updated." 

Q tapped the screen again. Eve, who had been avidly searching the opposite side of the Thames to him, dropped her binoculars and quickly closed the gap so she could check the screen with him. "There?" She said pointing at a small cluster of dots after a couple of minutes. "What do the different colours mean?" 

This time Q tapped the information dot in the corner of the screen. "Blue is like a tourist type boat, cruisers, people carriers, red means it’s a tanker, and green a cargo ship, there are others but... its' fairly simple system." He said staring at the array of red and green dots indicating they were close to Tilbury Docks. 

"What about grey?" 

"Grey?" 

Eve pointed to a single grey dot on the screen. Q hadn't seen the small nearly translucent dot hiding amongst the rest. 

"It's unspecified," Q finally answered, tapping the small circle of colour as lightly as he could. 

"Unspecified?" 

"Holy shit." 

"What have you got Q?" 006's voice chimed sharply in all of their headsets. "It's it ours?" 

Q couldn't speak. His breath holding as the app dragged out the process of giving up its secrets. "The Silver Bonita. River Cruise, last position 2' ago," he said finally with a puff of air.  

"Go, go go." 

The thunder from the helicopters engines suddenly felt too loud in Q's ears as did the increase in chatter between the two men in the front seats. He felt the aircraft turn sharply, his stomach rolling in the opposite direction in protest. He felt Eve's hand slip into his again, even though her focus was entirely on the small white object Q could now see which his own eyes, hidden in a small dock on the southerly side of the immense bridge.  

"003, 005, 002, M, and half of MI6 are on their way, I've called for backup," 006 said breaking the silence. "I've got armed response too – not that we'll fuckin' need it, 5 has just got back from San Francisco and usually carries enough to take out half of London on some of her missions after she's mixed with the San Francisco Police Department – but I thought it best to ask." 

Q didn't reply. He couldn't even form the words to tell Alec fearing that he'd look stupid if all that came out of his mouth was gibberish.  

James was a matter of minutes away 

His James. 

Q just hoped that he was in one piece. 

 


	5. Indiana Jones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tanner's in a cupboard  
> There's blood  
> A bit of violence  
> Fractured limbs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really 100% happy with this but putting it out anyway. Be kind to yourself reader, there's descriptions of violence and torture (although all within keeping of the film's rating imo).
> 
> Edit: if you see anything glaringly awful please let me know.
> 
> I also lied. It might go on a little longer than I thought...

It started with punches then a few back handed slaps to wake him up. At first, Thompson-Jones didn't touch Bill (he probably hadn't wanted to get his suit dirty Bill thought idly afterwards) but the moment the man had finally realised that he  _really_  had kidnapped the wrong guy all bets had been off.  

It was then that Bill shut down.

_'My name is William Robin_ _Tanner, 7, 7, 76.'_

_'who are you?'_

_'My name is William Robin_ _Tanner, 7, 7, 76.'_

_'who do you work for?'_

_'My name is William Robin_ _Tanner, 7, 7, 76.'_

The punches then came thick and fast and seemed to stop as quickly as they had started. Thompson-Jones wore a ring which Bill felt slice through his skin on more than one occasion. He'd tried to focus on it a few times, the large gold signet ring seemed to catch what meagre light the room had each time Thompson-Jones pulled back his arm, but then after a while, even doing that had become hard work and Bill took each continued punch with a gasp or an internal sob. Ridiculously at one point - probably while a goon was breaking his fingers – Bill came to the conclusion again that they really  _really_  didn't pay the Double 0's enough if this was what they had to put up with. He knew it wasn't always pretty or glamourous the job Bond did, but being pummeled into the deck of a boat was really bloody exhausting.

And painful.

A consolation of it all (if ever could be one in this this situation) was that they had finally untied his hands leaving Bill to loosen the lace on his left shoe and tentatively push at the ache in his left leg with the heel of his left hand. If his ankle and leg weren't broken before, the pain running along the left-hand side of his body told him they were now. Apparently, the final swing of the cricket bat by one of Thompson-Jones' goons finished the job off good and proper but then who knew? Things had gotten a little hazy after that point with the hitting and the punching and Bill's brain was struggling to make sense of it. He couldn't wait to take off his shoe though, but then there was the whole not be able to get it back on again and well... was it really going to matter in the grand scheme of things? 

Sighing, Bill moved his arms in an attempt to get the circulation in them going. Judging by the way the right one hung limply he suspected his wrist was also broke. Or fractured. Either way, the sharp stabbing sensation that shot up his arm when he moved it told him the limb was in a bad way.

There was probably a lot of bruising too. 

And blood.

"Fucking hell," Bill spat as his head hit the wooden wall behind him. He usually wasn't one for swearing, but as the door had closed and the dead bolt slid across, he thought it an entirely appropriate response considering the circumstances. In the distance, he heard more doors slammed shut and Bill held his breathe as the sound of heavy boots hitting the deck above him trailed off into the distance.

"Fucking hell fire," Bill repeated the curse. Where they still moving? From the lack of movement from the boat Bill didn't think so, but then his brain really did feel like it was going to burst out of his skull.

Everything hurt.

Everything.

There was pain in every part of his body and then some more on top of that. The dull ache in his back indicated he'd be pissing blood for a few days, while the cut above his right eye from the signet ring had closed it completely. Bill sobbed into the darkness. God knows where Bond was now. Had they dumped him somewhere? Was he alive? It was clear that after Thompson-Jones' revelation about wanting Q for his own fortune and glory, Bond had been seen as the easiest way to get to the boffin – the weak link in the chain so to speak. The only spanner in the works was that MI6 kept its Quartermaster very close to its chest and they had no way to know what he looked like. 

Swallowing hard, Bill bit back the bile that suddenly threatened to make an appearance. The thought of Q getting kidnapped sent shivers down his spine. In Bill's opinion Q was the most valuable asset MI6 had, hence the reason why as Chief of Staff he had fought so hard for anonymity. The man was a genius. He built hacker codes that hacked into other hacker codes, he could guide a Double 0 agent around a build blind, he saved lives... 

The shudder that ran through his body at what could have happened if they had gotten hold of Q instead made him cry out in pain. "Oh god," he said, his eyes filling up with tears. What if they had gotten hold of....

Eve. 

His Evie. 

Would he ever see her again?

Touch her?

Hold her?

Tell her he loved her so much?

"Gosh," Bill whispered, the tears falling easily now. He been so good up until now, so calm, so collected. His father would have been proud of him for keeping it together for so long but once the damn had burst through apparently there was no holding Bill back. "Com'n man," he said swallowing a sob. "Evie is out there and you are going to see her again and everything will be fine," Bill told himself, because MI6 had to be looking for them?

Right?

Bill drifted off a few times – the concussion care of the lovely Thompson-Jones was beginning to take hold of him. It prickled at the edge of his conscious, causing darkness and his mind to suddenly cloud over. One thing stopped it from disappearing completely though. Eve. Bill's vision of her was front and centre in is mind. Memories of them waking up together, showering together, the way she playfully stroked the hair on his chest when they lay together in bed. He pushed fear that he wouldn't be able to do those things ever again right back down until the darkness clouded over and he succumbed to sleep once more. 

After waking up suddenly for the fifth – no sixth time – Bill suddenly found himself being hit by something hard on his leg.

"Bill?"

"No, not again," Bill instinctively cried out. He bit his tongue in the progress and blood filled his mouth not for the first time that evening. In his panic, he attempted to reach for the solid object pushing at his leg to stop it but the damage to his wrist and fingers stopping instead had him crying out in pain. "Leave me alone, I'm not who you think I am!" He shouted with all the energy he could muster. They weren't taking him again, Bill decided. He was going down with a fight or not at all.

"TANNER!"

Ignoring the voice, he pushed back at the wooden object now digging into his leg. "Fuck off!" he shouted. But rather than pull back, the door seemed to come further into the room. Bill gasped as it hit his leg harder and again when he felt a strong grip around the broken wrist, "Bill, is that you?" a voice said. It was low and gravelly and Bill recognised it straight away. 

No... "007?"

"Holy shit."

"It's you?"

"It's me."

"I thought... I thought..." Bill didn't want to say the words – his lungs filled with air and it took all his might to release it. He couldn't see James, only hear him, but that was enough.

"No, not this time, but I got free."

"Thompson-Jones?"

"Who?"

"He was the head guy, flashy suit, probably bloodied up a bit now, thought I was Q."

Bill heard the suck in of air James made even from behind the door. "Q? My Q?"

"Yeah, long story... it's...later yeah... do we have a plan – I'm a little roughed up mind, not sure I can walk."

It took a while for James to respond but Bill waited anyway, he let out an exhausted sigh when James finally shoved his head through the gap in the doorway. "I took three of them out, no plan, holy shit Bill-."

Anything else James was to say was drowned out by the sound of helicopter blades.


	6. Captain John Price (22 SAS)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Q feels useless (he isn't obviously)  
> The big guns are called in  
> Feelings.  
> All the feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit 13/08/2017  
> I expected to have the next chapter of this up this weekend but real life has gotten in the way. If I can't tackle it this week, it will be next weekend.  
> Thank you x

Considering that Q knew what was about to go down, he was surprisingly calm. The whup of rotor blades, before so menacing, now acted as a timer counting down the miles, metres, inches as the aircraft drew closer to where the Silver Bonita sat. From the distance, he could see the roof of the vessel glinting in the sunlight. It looked still, quiet, and peaceful. If it hadn't of been for the fact that the top of vessel had a gaping hole where the upper deck and pilots cabin should have been, the Silver Bonita almost looked like it was ready to accept tourist for the day.  
Q sighed nervously. Had James caused the explosion? Had James been caught up in the explosion? Given that he knew his man's reputation better than most, both options were a possibility and both had a 50/50 chance of survival.  
Q swallowed hard, his forehead resting on the cool glass of the window.  
He wasn't going allow his thoughts to go 'there' just yet. Not for a while anyway. Not before he had seen the man he loved with his own eyes.  
"Hey, you okay?" Eve's voice cut the noise in Q's head and he nodded shapely in reply.  
"I'm okay, just want to get this over and done with, get them back and get them safe," he answered hoping his voice held. It did, but only just. Not that he would be able to hide much from Eve, but they were still wearing the headsets 006 had made them slip on at the beginning of the search. "How are you doing?"  
Eve shrugged rigidly, her gaze fixed on the small vessel beneath them. He watched as she took a deep breath and then sigh heavily causing a mist to appear on the helicopters window.  
"He's going to he be okay," Q said as calmly as he could. "Tanner is a lot tougher than you think."  
"Bill's not a trained agent."  
They had had volleyed this conversation a number of times over the last hour. Q trying to reassure Eve then vice versa."He's the Chef of Staff for MI6, you don't think that they let him do the job without some of training, do you? The mandatory 'Resistance to Interrogation' course we have once a year is a ball ache. Last year 003 assisted with the course and I fear they've missed their calling, the whole thing was downright terrifying."  
Eve chuckled, but the action looked forced. "I know. It's just... what if they haven't... what if they haven't had chance to put that into place."  
"What do you mean?" Q replied. His brows furrowed so hard it almost hurt.  
"What if they are already dead? Whoever took them, just... ended... it... Them. Without them having a chance to fight back."  
Without thinking Q reached across the space between them and grabbed Eve's hand. "Eve," he mouthed silently hoping to get her attention. Her forehead was still pressed up against the glass so Q gently applied pressure to her hand with his. "Oh Eve," he whispered as a tear streaked face turned towards his. Even in the darkness of the cab Q could see the tell-tale redness around her eyes. He'd never wanted so much to rip a pair a damn headset off his head so much in his life.  
"What if they are already dead Q?" The question sounded tinny and sharp through the headset and Q took in a deep breathe before he could even think about answering her. He knew that somehow, he was going to need to be the strong one here when in reality he was crumbling inside. He needed to find that backbone that James had once told him was his best trait and for once, bring it to front.  
"This is James and Bill. And whether they are trained or not," he said before Eve could interrupt. "They have something to come home for, us. Do you really think they aren't going to fight for their lives?"  
"Bill wants to marry me," Eve blurted.  
"He does? Has he asked?"  
"No. But I know. You just know, don’t you? We talk about the future, about us, about me going back out into field work – I'm not, I wouldn't, not now – but I think he's ready to ask."  
"And would you say yes, if he did ask?"  
"Without doubt. He wants a family. I want a family."  
"Mini Tanner's?"  
"Yes."  
"I'd like that with James," Q confessed.  
"You would?"  
"Maybe not the kids. Christ, can you imagine any offspring of me and James running around England? MI6 would have their work cut out just keeping tabs on them. No, I mean the idea of settled, nice house in the country, no guns or explosions, or boats."  
"And you think that's possible?"  
"Absol-" Any answer that Q was going to give was cut off by the sound of the helicopter's rotor blades grinding to a halt and the lurch of the aircraft as its landing skids. Worryingly (or not whichever the case may be) his attention had been so diverted by Eve's upset, he'd failed to see that they had dropped out of the sky and landed on an empty section of dock a good 600 metres from where the Silver Bonita was moored.  
"I'm going with you," the words tumbled out of Q's mouth before he could stop them. Without missing a beat, he ripped off the godforsaken headset and threw the piece of kit to the floor of the helicopter then pinged open the metal clasp that head the seatbelt in place.  
"You're staying here," 006 shouted at him. "James will fucking kill me if I let you go in after me."  
Q ignored him.  
"Q, no."  
The door to the helicopter flung open before Q could get a handle on and he folded himself out of the aircraft, jumping heavily onto the hard-tarmac service.  
"Q wait."  
No. He couldn't. Wouldn't. He was tired of waiting. Wrapping the scarf he'd remembered to grab on his way of Q Branch tightly around his neck, Q eyes searched the desolate dock. In the distance he could see the Silver Bonita sat alone, any signs of life it should have had at this time in the morning missing.  
He had to get in there and find James. Find Bill.  
"Whatever you are thinking Q, don't." 006's words cut into the early morning air shattering the peace. "There's backup coming." He said nodding at the blue lights in the distance. The sound of sirens where getting closer, Q couldn't deny that yet he was finding it hard to shrug off the ominous sense of foreboding he could feel settling over the empty quayside.  
He shook his head sharply. Something didn't feel right. It felt too quiet, too still. "We are wasting time 006!"  
"We. Are. Waiting."  
Q's raged a silent battle with himself and 006 at the agent's words. His body vibrated with tension, his teeth clenched together and ground against themselves hard. God dammit he knew he could make a run for the boat if he tried – the morning runs James insisted he complete had started to pay off - but then it wasn't just James he needed to think about this time. There was Bill too. Wonderful Bill, who was probably cursing the air up a blue one. No, he had to wait. He knew that of course... he didn't like it obviously, it made him feel useless and for the first time in a long time he felt out of control. He had no earwig, no maps, no satellite images. And his laptop – his lifeline - was sat on the sea in the helicopter but what use would it do him now? He suspected was hardly a phone signal never mind a 4G one. No what Q needed...  
"Q wait," Eve's words washed over him stalling any movement he was going to make towards the Silver Bonita and he turned towards her. "Don't go in alone honey, wait for the rest of us," she said softly as their eyes met.  
"But...?"  
"Q, we don’t know if they are in there, and if we are what condition. We also don't know whether whoever took them is still in there too. This isn't like a normal mission. We aren't going in stealth, this is guns blazing we aren't knocking on their door or sneaking through their window kinds of shit. They know we are here. Which is why we have to wait for 22."  
"22 are coming?" If Q sounded surprised it was because he was. As a division of MI6 Q Branch didn't really have much interaction with that side of the armed forces except on missions - although they did like testing his weapons sometimes. But to hear that they were on their way for James and Bill...  
Eve nodded. "Remember the Double 0 Christmas Tree phone list I was telling you about? Apparently, the SAS is in it too."  
"005?"  
"Yes, they owed him."  
"Jesus."  
A wave of blue suddenly shrouded the area and Q turned to find three large blacked out range rovers and a whole fleet of silver Metropolitan Police vehicles pulling up next to the helicopter.  
"Holy shit," Q whispered under his breath as he watched as six men wearing an armed plated helmets and tactical vest over plain clothes climb out of the vehicles. "They don't half mean business, do they?"  
Their arrival sparked something in the now Double 0 heavy group of people who Q now realised had created a barrier between him and Silver Bonita. Around him weapons where being drawn out of holsters and Q watched 006 and 003 push buds into their ears and nod towards the tourist vessel sitting dormant in dock.  
"Who's your Quartermaster?" Q heard one of the soldiers say. "Is he ready to lead?"  
Before Q could answer he saw M's hand raise with a shush. Q hadn't even seen the man arrive so unfocused as he was. "Our Quartermaster isn't leading this one. We have R and a number of tech's back at base. They have the layout and design in front of them, they are just awaiting your call Captain Price."  
"They good to go?" The Captain asked indicating to his team where they needed to be.  
"006?" M directed the question to the agent currently blocking Q's view of the quayside.  
"Yeah she's ready."  
Q felt a hand slip into his and fingers wrap around his.  
Eve.  
"Are you not going with them?"  
Eve shook her head. "They think it best we stay here."  
"But you want too?"  
"Of course, but I'm not sure I'm safe with a weapon at the moment. I may end up hurting someone I shouldn't."  
Q nodded and wrapped his fingers tighter around hers. "Probably for the best."  
"We ready?" Q heard 006 say.  
"Ready."  
"Well let's go get our boys back then."


	7. Pryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short one  
> Tanners alone  
> Bond's hand  
> Something's brewing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one minds but this is a short chapter, we kinda go back in time a little until the next chapter will bring the story right up to date. It's not a flashback more a bridging chapter. Apologies it's a short one - it's rushed because I wanted to get something out.

Silence.

All Bill could hear was silence. 

The thud from a helicopter's rotor blades had died away what felt like eons ago and now there was silence. 

Deadening. Frightening. Unnerving. Silence.

Wincing, Bill scanned the small cupboard again and drew a sharp breath when he saw James' pale bloodied hand still lying in exactly the same place it had been the last time he had managed to peel his eyes open.

"James," he croaked out. Bill wanted to reach across and grab the appendage but whatever Thompson-Jones' goons had done to him had either caused some sort of short circuit in his brain blocking the connection to his limbs or he was just too damn exhausted to move. 

He groaned deeply causing the dormant pain in his chest to rise up once more. "God damn it," he said with a deep breath, pulling what he hoped was a lung full of cloggy mess into his body. The action sent another shock wave through his body. His ankle screamed and the pain radiated through him once more until it reached places he didn't think he knew existed.

As least he could feel pain, Bill thought, that was one tick in this whole shit storm of incident. At least he could feel something.

A tick in the negative column though was James' silence and it would have scared Bill to death if he didn't know how resilient the agent was. His best friend had already managed to get a second wind from somewhere and escape his bindings so Bill knew that he had more in him, but the fact that there was now nothing, no movement, no sounds, nothing, had Bill's pulse rising even higher than it had been. 

"Bond?" It came out this time as a question. "James, are you awake?"

Nothing.

Bill jerked his head down and took a deep breathe. He gritted his teeth as the familiar sensation of his body fighting the shock wave pain took over. "Buggering hell."

Twisting to the right, Bill rolled his neck towards the door. He couldn't see much but a long shaft of light from one of the boats lower deck windows was now illuminating the narrow corridor he could remember being dragged down. Dropping his eyes to Bond's hand he forced his eyes to get used to the light and focused on the bloodied mess in front of him. Bond's thumb still looked dislocated from when he had apparently escaped from the bindings they'd used. The gnarled digit looked broken and sitting at an opposite angle from it should have been. 

"Q's going to kill you," Bill whispered. To be honest Eve was probably going to kill him more if that was at all possible. His ankle was a serious mess, his eyes and face had been bashed about a bit something was going on with his ribs and tummy area he didn't want to think to seriously about. Not yet anyway. Not until they got out of there, because if seeing Eve's face was the last thing he did before she drop kicked him from here until next week for getting kidnapped then injured he'd be a happy man.

* * *

 

 

At some point Bill realized that he must have drifted off to sleep. The ebb and flow of the boat was still there as he regained consciousness, he could feel it, but now there was something else in the air. He peeled his eyes open and searched the small space he was folded into again. Behind the silence of the boat was something. Something mechanical. Something getting closer. Bill shifted his body – or attempted to – and strained his neck closer to the gap in the door and to where Bond's hand still lay.

Noise.

Thuds.

Repetitive thuds.

Something in the distance.

"Bond," Bill said, ignoring the fact that the agent's name was the only thing he felt sure he was right about at that moment. "Can't you hear me mate?"

A dash of something suddenly hit Bill's nostrils, cutting off any answer James could have made. Drawing back, he took a deep breath and shivered when the familiar sent of petrol hit the back of this throat. That wasn't good. Bill stiffened instinctively reaching out for Bond's mangled hand as he did so. There was something else too. A heat rising from beneath his legs. The wooden floor to the small cupboard wasn't flimsy, it couldn't be, hundreds of tourists usually passed over it on a daily basis but he could definitely feel something getting closer and that coupled with the now tangy taste of petrol fumes...

They'd torched the damn boat.


End file.
